1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a retractable electric cord device, and method of making the complete device and one or more components thereof. The device can be used for delivering power and/or information (e.g. data transmission for telephone, computer, printer, robotic, and other applications and appliances.
2. Prior Art
Conventional telephones are provided with a base unit connected to a handset by means of a cord formed in a coiled manner. With use, the cord of this type becomes tangled and unsightly due to twisting of the handset relative to the base unit a number of times over a period of time. After being sufficiently tangled or twisted, the telephone cord of this type becomes substantially unusable since the effective length of the cord is substantially reduced so that it is difficult for a user to remove the handset a sufficient distance from the base unit to use the telephone.
A new product has been recently marketed that can be referred to as a swivel connector. The swivel connector includes a male terminal that can be received within the female terminal of the handset, and the male terminal is pivotally connected to a female terminal that can receive the male end of a conventional coiled type telephone cord. The swivel connector allows the handset to be rotated freely about the base unit without tangling or twisting the conventional telephone cord. This prior art device is only relevant as a product that competes in the same market as the device according to the present invention, but is totally unrelated in structure or function.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,859 discloses a telephone cord take-up reel assembly comprising a housing with a take-up reel having a predetermined length of telephone cord. This assembly utilizes a slip ring connector to accommodate relative rotation between the housing and take-up reel. The slip ring connector is not desirable, since such a connector produces signal noise that may not be suitable for many applications such as electrical information transfer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,341 discloses an extensible electrical cable assembly comprising a housing in combination with a resiliently stressable flat cable. The cable is provided with electrical connectors at its ends, and is wrapped in a coil around a hub in the housing. The assembly is used to provide electrical power to reciprocally moving parts including robots, typewriters, and computer printers. This assembly is unlike the present invention since it does not include a reel for winding and storing an electrical extension cord, nor a spiral electrical connector for electrically connecting the electrical extension cord to an electrical connector extending through the housing, nor a spring for winding the reel as in the present invention.